A pickup towing a boat drives on The Trans-Canada Highway just north of Sault Ste-Marie on June 21, 2023.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
I was surprised to read about a proposed law in Ontario that would make it illegal to cross the solid yellow double lines that are painted on the highway. I’ve lived in Ontario for nearly 20 years and I thought it was already illegal to cross them – although I see other drivers do it fairly regularly. Isn’t that the rule everywhere else in Canada? So what exactly is Ontario’s rule now? – Diane, North Bay, Ont.
In most of Canada, when you cross that yellow solid double line, you’ve crossed the line.
Every province except Ontario bans crossing the double line that separates traffic going in opposite directions on a highway.
In Ontario, there’s no specific law against crossing that line into the oncoming lane, but you could face other charges if you do, said the Ontario Provincial Police.
“The double lines are there for a reason,” said Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, with OPP Highway Safety Division. “You’re not going to get charged for crossing a double line … but you may be charged with careless driving or unsafe passing. There are all kinds of different offences.”
While Ontario’s current law doesn’t specifically ban crossing the solid yellow double line, it states that drivers can’t cross into oncoming traffic if they’re approaching the crest of a hill, a curve or are within 30 metres of a bridge, viaduct, tunnel or railway crossing. If you do, you could face an $85 fine ($150 in a community safety zone) and three demerit points.
Those are all places where you can’t always see oncoming cars and there’s usually a solid yellow double line there as a warning, Schmidt said.
“The lines are there for your safety,” he said.
Often, where there are double lines, there will be signs saying you can’t pass. If you do, you could also be charged with disobeying a traffic sign – an $85 fine ($120 in a community safety zone) and two demerits.
You could also face more serious charges, including careless driving, especially if you cause a collision.
While the rules vary by province, generally, you’re allowed to cross into the oncoming lane to pass when there’s a broken yellow line – but only if it’s safe.
Blurred lines?
Because all the lines can get confusing, here’s a quick Lines 101. Generally, yellow lines separate traffic going in opposite directions and white lines separate lanes of traffic going in the same direction.
If there’s a broken line, you can cross it to pass. If it’s solid, you shouldn’t.
Sometimes, you’ll see a double line that’s solid on one side and broken on the other. In that case, you obey the line that’s in your lane of traffic – if you have the broken line, you can pass if it’s safe.
Most provinces other than Ontario treat a solid line the same, whether it’s single or double – it’s illegal to cross.
But, there are a few exceptions for single solid lines. In British Columbia and Nova Scotia, for instance, the law states you can cross a solid single yellow line to pass – as long as you can do it safely.
Also, in some provinces, including Ontario, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes have thick solid white lines or white barrier zones painted on the road – they are illegal to cross.
Clearer rules?
In November, Ontario NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin introduced a private member’s bill to specifically make it illegal to cross the yellow solid double line when passing another vehicle.
It’s the second time Bourgouin, who represents the northern Ontario riding of Mushkegowuk-James Bay, has tried to pass the law. The first attempt, in 2023, didn’t pass before the last provincial election.
The bill proposes a $400 fine and three or more demerit points.
We reached out to Bourgouin but did not get an immediate response.
“We’re seeing a lot of accidents happening and people taking chances passing on a double solid line on highways,” Bourgouin told CBC News in 2023. “And in Ontario the two solid lines are a suggestion, not law – unlike other jurisdictions, other provinces, where it’s law.”
If the bill passes and becomes law, it could make the rules clearer for drivers and easier for police to enforce, said Angelo DiCicco, chief executive officer of the Ontario Safety League, a non-profit focusing on driver education.
But it likely wouldn’t prevent some drivers from still trying to pass when it isn’t safe.
Often, drivers are in a hurry – and they often underestimate how close oncoming traffic actually is, whether there are double lines or not, he said.
“If you can’t see far enough ahead to complete a pass and return safely to your lane, you shouldn’t try,” DiCicco said.
You also shouldn’t count on an oncoming car seeing you in time to slow down, he said.
In 2023, the most recent year with numbers available, there were 439 deaths in head-on crashes on Canadian roads, according to Transport Canada’s National Collision Database.
“Entering an oncoming lane is one of the few routine driving actions where a small error in judgment can have catastrophic consequences,” DiCicco said.
Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@globeandmail.com and put ‘Driving Concerns’ in your subject line. E-mails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada’s a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.